The full specifications of Intel’s upcoming Core i9-7920X processor have leaked out. The processor is even listed for pre-order on several stores so let’s take a look at what Intel’s 12 core chip has to offer against the upcoming AMD Ryzen Threadripper family.

The Intel Core i9-7920X will be Intel’s first 12 core, high-end desktop processor. It won’t be the flag ship of the Core X family but it will still hold its own in terms of price and performance. The Core X family of processors currently includes five chips that have been released while the remaining four, which includes the Core i9-7920X, Core i9-7940X, Core i9-7960X and the Core i9-7980XE will launch in the coming months (August-October).

As far as specifications are concerned, the Intel Core i9-7920X packs 12 cores and 24 threads. The chip features a base clock of 2.9 GHz and a boost frequency of 4.0 GHz. We can tell that not all the cores will be operational at the 4.0 GHz boost clocks. The chip will also feature Turbo Boost Max 3 technology which will boost even further. In terms of cache, the chip features a total of 16.5 MB of L3 and 12 MB of L2 cache. Combining the cache, we get 28.5 MB of total cache on board the chip that Intel terms as smart cache. The chip will support quad channel memory and feature 44 PCIe lanes for discrete GPU and NVMe based storage devices.

Intel Core i9-7920X CPU Specifications:

Core: Skylake-X

Core Number: 12

Number of Threads: 24

Frequency: 2.9 GHz

Maximum Frequency: 4 GHz

Intel Smart Cache: 16.5 MB

Instruction Kit: 64-bit

Instruction Extension: SSE4.1 / 4.2 -512

Process: 14nm

Max TDP:

140W Socket: LGA2066

Memory Controller :

Max RAM Size: 128GB RAM

Type: DDR4 2666MHz

Number of Memory Channels: 4

ECC Memory Support: No

PCI Express Controller:

Max Number of PCI Express Lanes: 44

PCI Express Revision 3.0

The chip has been confirmed to feature a TDP of 140W which is lower than the 180W TDP on the comparable Ryzen Threadripper 1920X chip with 12 cores. The Ryzen Threadripper processor is higher clocked with a base frequency of 3.5 GHz and single core boost of 4.0 GHz. The boost may be similar to the Core i9-7920X but single core tasks may end up performing better on AMD’s chip. There’s also the price which is suggested at $1189 US for the Core i9 processor.

This is higher than the Threadripper 1920X which will cost just $800 US. So Intel is asking $400 US more for their 12 core part but we can’t say if it’s that good to validate the higher pricing. AMD Ryzen Threadripper chips will also have more PCIe lanes at 64, which gives them a clear advantage over Intel’s parts. It seems like Intel will have to follow a do more for less strategy from now onward as AMD has definitely gained momentum over Intel CPUs in the mainstream desktop and soon the HEDT desktop segment too.